NEW YORK, Jan 18, 2026, 11:16 EST — Market closed.
- Riot Platforms revealed a long-term lease for a data center with AMD, initially set at 25 MW but with potential for significant expansion
- AMD closed Friday at $231.83, gaining 1.7% as chip stocks remained steady heading into the long weekend
- Investors are focused on how the capacity will be allocated, with AMD’s Feb. 3 earnings report looming as the next key catalyst
Advanced Micro Devices will grab attention when U.S. markets open Tuesday, Jan. 20, following Riot Platforms’ announcement of a 10-year data-center lease and services deal with the chipmaker at its Rockdale, Texas facility. Riot pegged the initial deployment at 25 megawatts of “critical IT load” — essentially server power — and noted options to ramp leased capacity up to 200 MW, pushing the contract’s value close to $1 billion. “Advancing high-performance computing and AI requires partners that can match our pace and scale,” AMD Chief Information Officer Hasmukh Ranjan said. riotplatforms.com
AMD shares climbed 1.7% on Friday, ending the day at $231.83. The deal comes amid growing investor focus on a key bottleneck in the AI surge: the power and space needed to run and cool tightly packed chip racks.
Wall Street will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the earnings calendar picking up pace right after. “It is literally an imperative that earnings actually carry the news cycle,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. Reuters
Riot shares surged 16.1% on Friday, closing at $19.24.
Chip stocks edged up ahead of the long weekend, with a semiconductor index climbing 1.2% on Friday. This came despite major U.S. indexes closing mostly flat. “Most investors will take that as a win,” said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial. Reuters
A filing revealed AMD officer Ava Hahn plans to sell 2,442 shares, valued roughly at $572,454. The Form 144 notice identifies Morgan Stanley Smith Barney as the broker and classifies the shares as restricted stock.
Form 144 signals that insiders intend to sell restricted stock under SEC Rule 144, but it doesn’t confirm any sale has occurred. Traders usually ignore small, routine filings unless they pile up or precede a key event.
The Rockdale lease is a capacity deal, not a straightforward customer win for AMD’s chips. Investors will be looking for hints—either in earnings or future updates—on whether this extra space and power targets internal computing, customer use, or a mix of both, and how fast it scales up.
Timing is key: Riot plans to start deliveries this month, wrapping up by May. The bigger capacity and contract values depend on options that might not get exercised. If the retrofit faces delays or market risk appetite shifts, AMD’s near-term outlook could weaken.
AMD stock faces its first real challenge Tuesday as chip names shake off the long weekend. The next major event is the company’s Q4 and full-year earnings report, due Feb. 3 after the market closes, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. EST.
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